The present invention relates to a component feeding apparatus and method and a component mounting apparatus having the component feeding apparatus to be used in a component mounting apparatus and method for sequentially mounting components stored in a stick (stick-shaped magazine) onto circuit formation bodies such as circuit boards, components, casings, frames, or the like, whereby components are sequentially supplied to a predetermined position, for example, a component feed position where a component holding member of the component mounting apparatus holds the component.
A stick is employed in one form of feeding components. A conventional feed method and an apparatus therefor will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a component feeding apparatus of the type referred to above includes a holder 3 for holding a stick 1 storing components 2, an inclined chute 4 set with an inclination to pass the components 2 from the stick 1 and provided with a separating device 5 at a leading end part for separating the leading component only, and a rotary device 40 for holding and rotating the separated leading component 2 to a horizontal position 6.
The conventional rotary device 40 is constituted of a rotary block 42 set rotatably to a fulcrum 41 in the vicinity of the leading end of the inclined chute 4, a driving source 43 for rotating the rotary block 42, a lever 44 for transmitting a driving force of the driving source 43 to the rotary block 42, a shutter 45 which slides to open and close at normal times to prevent the component 2 from popping outside, a driving source 46 for opening and closing the shutter 45, and a lever 47 for transmitting a driving force of the driving source 46 to the shutter 45. Both the driving source 43 for the rotary device 40 and the driving source 46 for opening and closing the shutter 45 are set outside the apparatus to be shared with the other component feeding apparatuses.
The rotary device 40 presses the lever 44 through driving of the driving source 43, thereby rotating the rotary block 42 to move the leading component 2 to the horizontal position 6. Thereafter, the driving source 46 is driven to press the lever 47, whereby the shutter 45 slides to open. Then, the component 2 is sucked by a nozzle 82 of a head part 81 of a component mounting apparatus as shown in FIG. 12 and mounted to a printed board 84 by an XY robot 83 set for moving the head part 81.
In the above-described constitution, the apparatus has the driving sources set outside to be shared with the other component feeding apparatuses and therefore an availability is low. In order to hold and move the component 2 to the horizontal position 6, the apparatus uses both the driving source 43 for rotating the rotary block 42 and the driving source 46 for opening and closing the shutter 45 which is normally closed to prevent the popping-out of the component 2. As such, a driving operation timing as shown in FIG. 15 with which the driving source 45 and the driving source 46 operate constantly interlockingly is sometimes obstructed. A wide installation space is also required. In addition, the shutter of a slide system requires complicated assembling and processing of its components.
An object of the present invention is to solve the above issues and to provide a component feeding apparatus and method and a component mounting apparatus with the component feeding apparatus whereby a rotary device and a component pop-out preventing device for preventing components from popping outside can be driven by the same driving device set inside individually.
In order to accomplish the above objective, the present invention is constituted as follows.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component feeding apparatus for feeding components to a predetermined position, which comprises:
a holder for holding a stick capable of storing the components;
an inclined chute set with an inclination so that the components can slide in an array from the stick;
a separating device for separating only a leading component in the inclined chute from the other components;
a rotary device including a rotary member for holding the leading component separated by the separating device, which moves the rotary member from a component hold position inclined along the inclined chute where the leading component separated by the separating device is to be held by the rotary member, to a component feed position where the component is to be placed in a position for component supply;
a component pop-out preventing device which prevents the leading component held by the rotary member from popping outside for a period after the leading component separated by the separating device is held at the component hold position by the rotary member before the rotary member reaches the component feed position, and releases the the leading component held by the rotary member after the rotary member reaches the component feed position; and
a single driving device for moving the rotary member of the rotary device between the component hold position and the component feed position and causing the component pop-out preventing device to release the leading component at the component feed position of the rotary member.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component feeding apparatus according to the first aspect, in which the driving device linearly moves a rod between a front position and a back position, so that at the back position of the rod, the rotary member is positioned at the component hold position and the leading component held by the rotary member is prevented from popping outside by the component pop-out preventing device, while at the front position of the rod, the leading component held by the rotary member is released by the component pop-out preventing device after the rotary member is positioned at the component feed position.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component feeding apparatus according to the first or second aspect, in which the driving device comprises:
an air cylinder for linearly moving the rod between the front position and the back position; and
an urging member for urging the rotary member to rotate to the component feed position, having an urging force regulated at the back position of the rod,
so that the rotary member is positioned at the component hold position at the back position of the rod, then the rotary member is urged to rotate to the component feed position by the urging force of the urging member through deregulation of the urging force of the urging member when the rod moves from the back position to the front position, and
a driving force from the rod is transmitted, thereby causing the component pop-out preventing device to release the leading component held by the rotary member when the rod reaches the front position after the rotary member is urged to rotate to the component feed position.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component feeding apparatus in any one of the first through third aspects in which the component pop-out preventing device comprises:
a shutter set openably relative to the rotary member, for movement between a component pop-out prevention position for preventing the leading component from popping outside and a retreat position for releasing the leading component;
a shaft coupled to the shutter;
a lever coupled to the shutter via the shaft and which comes in contact with the rod of the driving device when the rod linearly moves, thereby rotating the shutter from the component pop-out prevention position to the retreat position; and
an urging member for always urging the shutter to rotate from the retreat position to the component pop-out prevention position.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component feeding apparatus according to any one of the first through fourth aspects in which the rotary member is supported rotatably about a fulcrum, so that the rotary member is positioned at the component hold position when the rod of the driving device linearly moves and reaches the back position, while the rotary member is positioned at the component feed position when the rod reaches the front position.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component feeding apparatus according to any one of the first through fifth aspects, in which the rotary member has a groove for receiving the leading component from the inclined chute at the component hold position, a first stopper for regulating a leading end side of the leading component received in the groove to not move, and a second stopper which comes out of the groove at the component hold position, and projects into the groove while the rotary member is moving from the component hold position to the component feed position immediately after the rotary member starts moving from the component hold position towards the component feed position and at the component feed position, thereby regulating a rear end side of the leading component received in the groove to not move.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component feeding apparatus according to any one of the first through sixth aspects, in which the separating device comprises:
an engagement part for entering between the leading component and a second component adjacent to the leading component in the inclined chute, thereby regulating the second component to not move;
a lever for inserting the engagement part between the leading component and the second component in the inclined chute; and
an urging member for driving the lever when the rod of the driving device linearly moves and reaches the back position, thereby inserting the engagement part between the leading component and the second component in the inclined chute to regulate the component to not move,
so adapted that the lever is driven oppositely through the linear movement of the rod of the driving device when the rod linearly moves to reach the front position, thereby releasing the movement regulation of the second component by the engagement part.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component feeding apparatus according to any one of the first through seventh aspects in which the inclined chute has a movement regulation member for regulating the leading component in the inclined chute to not drop from the inclined chute when the rotary member is present at a position other than the component hold position,
wherein the movement regulation of the leading component in the inclined chute by the movement regulation member is released by the rotary member when the rotary member is present at the component hold position, thereby enabling the leading component to be received from the inclined chute by the rotary member.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component mounting apparatus in which a component supplied from the component feeding apparatus in any one of the first through eighth aspects, after being held by a component holding member, is mounted to a predetermined position of a circuit formation body.
According to a 10 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component feed method for feeding components to a predetermined position, which comprises:
separating only a leading component from the other components in an inclined chute set with an inclination so that the components can slide in an array from a stick capable of storing the components;
holding the separated leading component at a rotary member present at a component hold position inclined along the inclined chute;
transmitting a driving force from a single driving device to a rotary device and a component pop-out preventing device, thereby holding the leading component to the rotary member present at the component hold position, then moving the rotary member by the rotary device to a component feed position where the component is to be placed in a position for component supply, causing the component pop-out preventing device to prevent the leading component held by the rotary member from popping outside after the leading component is held at the component hold position before the rotary member reaches the component feed position, and releasing the leading component held by the rotary member after the rotary member reaches the component feed position.
According to an 11 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component feed method of the 10 th aspect, in which the single driving device linearly moves a rod between a front position and a back position,
so that at the back position of the rod, the rotary member is positioned at the component hold position and the leading component held by the rotary member is prevented from popping outside by the component pop-out preventing device, while at the front position of the rod, the leading component held by the rotary member is released in the component pop-out preventing device after the rotary member is positioned at the component feed position.
According to a 12 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component feed method according to the 10 th or 11 th aspect in which the driving device includes an air cylinder for linearly moving the rod between the front position and the back position, and an urging member for urging the rotary member to rotate to the component feed position, having the urging force regulated at the back position of the rod,
so that the rotary member is positioned at the component hold position at the back position of the rod, and the rotary member is urged to rotate to the component feed position by the urging force of the urging member through deregulation of the urging force of the urging member when the rod moves from the back position to the front position, and
a driving force from the rod is transmitted when the rod reaches the front position after the rotary member is urged to rotate to the component feed position, thereby causing the component pop-out preventing device to release the leading component held by the rotary member.
According to a 13 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component feed method in any one of the 10 th through 12 th aspects, in which the component pop-out preventing device prevents the leading component from popping outside when a shutter openably set relative to the rotary member reaches a component pop-out prevention position, as well as releases the leading component when the shutter reaches a retreat position,
wherein the driving force from the rod of the driving device is transmitted when the rod linearly moves, thereby rotating the shutter from the component pop-out prevention position to the retreat position, while
the shutter is always urged by the urging member to rotate from the retreat position to the component pop-out prevention position.
According to a 14 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component feed method in any one of the 10 th through 13 th aspects, wherein the rotary member rotates about a fulcrum thereby being positioned at the component hold position when the rod of the driving device linearly moves and reaches the back position, and moreover the rotary member rotates about the fulcrum thereby being positioned at the component feed position when the rod reaches the front position.
According to a 15 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component feed method in any one of the 10 th through 14 th aspects, which further comprises:
receiving the leading component into a groove of the rotary member from the inclined chute at the component hold position when the separated leading component is to be held by the rotary member;
regulating a leading end side of the leading component received in the groove to not move, by use of a first stopper; and
regulating a rear end side of the leading component received in the groove to not move, by use of a second stopper which projects into the groove while the rotary member is moving from the component hold position to the component feed position immediately after the rotary member starts moving from the component hold position towards the component feed position and at the component feed position.
According to a 16 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component feed method according to any one of the 10 th through 15 th aspects, which comprises:
inserting an engagement part between the leading component and a second component adjacent to the leading component in the inclined chute when only the leading component in the inclined chute is to be separated from the other components, thereby regulating the second component to not move;
when a rod of the driving device linearly moves and then reaches the front position, driving a lever oppositely through linear movement of the rod, thereby releasing the movement regulation of the second component by the engagement part.
According to a 17 th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component feed method of any one of the 10 th through 16 th aspects, in which in the inclined chute, regulating the leading component in the inclined chute by a movement regulation member to not drop out of the inclined chute when the rotary member is positioned at a position other than the component hold position, while
releasing, by the rotary member, the movement regulation of the leading component in the inclined chute by the movement regulation member when the rotary member is present at the component hold position, thus enabling the leading component to be received from the inclined chute to by the rotary member.